Women Ministries of the Great Lakes Conference

02/16/2026

Women Ministries Devotional – “NO RECORD”
By Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (5) It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5niv)

How do we walk in this type of love? “it keeps no record of wrongs”. Is the heavy in our hearts of the records of wrong we keep? What if we thought about our sins our wrongs against God and how He loves us still? God in His love for us offers us a fresh start.

How would our love look different if we were guilty of “keeping no record of wrongs”?

Hebrews 8:12kjv say’s “For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, and their sins I will no longer remember.” What if there was no “Salvation” because God held on to our wrongdoings? How many do we have?

Mercy (Greek: eleos) we show “compassion, kindness and heartfelt concern”.

“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23kjv

Consumed (Greek: an-al-is'-ko) destroy

I could not experience God’s peace until I began to let go of the hurt, the pain, the disappointment I felt from others. I had become a prisoner in my own body, in my feelings, in my emotions. I was dying within myself, losing my breath daily, losing my mind and the Holy Spirit brought this scripture to my remembrance:

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” John 8:7kjv I am GUILTY! The heavy load I chose to carry was lifted.

There is a song “Let Go” by Dwayne Woods. He sings “when I let go and let God have His way”. “casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7amp

What do you have to rejoice about today? NO RECORD!

What records will you expunge today?
What cares will you cast today?

11/14/2025

Something new is stirring in Women Ministries! Over the past 8 months, we have been praying, listening, and learning from women across the Evangelical Covenant Church. Nearly 100 women shared their voices through our WM Collaborative Survey, helping us discern what’s next.

We believe God is calling us into a new and vibrant season of ministry; one that connects, supports, and mobilizes women for Christ in new ways.

Stay tuned as we share what’s coming for 2026 and beyond. The best is yet to come.

10/22/2025

Obedience is What God Wants

Since childhood I have known the Genesis 22 account of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Genesis 22:2 NIV

It’s a story that I especially love but one that can be hard to grasp. Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? But, as I am studying Genesis with my grandson Ben. I am learning new aspects of obedience from this account.

The main characters are God, Abraham, Isaac and the angel of the Lord. The place is in the region of Mount Moriah, a very sacred mountain where significant events in Biblical history occurred. This is also where King David built an altar to stop the spread of a plague, where Solomon build the first temple and the place for Christ’s crucifixion. Today Mount Moriah is known as The Temple Mount. If I were to choose key points they would be: 1) Abraham’s obedience to God, 2) Isaac’s trust and

3) God’s response to Abraham’s obedience.

Genesis 22 starts out by saying “sometime later God tested Abraham”. There were probably different ways in which God could have carried out the test, but He chose to include one of the dearest persons in Abraham’s life…his beloved son Isaac in the test. Isaac had been promised to Abraham and Sarah in their late 90’s and remember how Sarah laughed when she heard that she would bear a child! Not an unexpected response to such an unexpected promise. While Isaac’s age is not given in scripture most likely he was at least in his teens and possibly older. Picture if you can elderly Abraham and his son Isaac trudging up the mountain, perhaps walking slower and slower as the climb became steeper. There was little talking just concentration on the hike and for Abraham, what he was about to do. Abraham carried the fire and knife and Isaac carried the wood on his back. Isaac questioned his father about the lamb for the sacrifice, but was content with his father’s answer, (verse 8) “ God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” The wood was quite heavy, so Isaac had to be old enough and strong enough to bear this burden. His strength also suggests to me that he would have been strong enough to fight off his father if he had wanted to. However, we find just the opposite happening. There was no struggle recorded in scripture. Verses 9b-12 tell us “He (Abraham) bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” It wasn’t until after Abraham had obeyed that he looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket (verse 13). How true for us too. Often we don’t see God’s next provision until we have obeyed the first thing He tells us to do. Look at the level of trust between this father and son! Abraham trusted God’s promises and obeyed God even to the point of willingness to sacrifice his own son. Isaac trusted his father without wavering.

True obedience and trust go hand in hand. We can’t say we trust God and then not obey Him. We can’t obey God until we trust Him. As we obey Him our trust grows and gets stronger. God desires our obedience and at times will put our love to the test. Let’s make this more personal. He won’t ask you to sacrifice your child on an altar but He may ask you to sacrifice, out of obedience, a lifestyle, hobby, avocation, friendship or something else that is dear to you. Are you willing to obey Him even if it means walking away from a friendship or relationship? Are you willing to obey Him if He tells you to leave a job you love and seek out a new one? Are you willing to give of your resources so others will hear about Him while sacrificing something you really want for yourself?

When God sends a test into your life, remember, He does so with His divine purpose in mind. He wants you to grown stronger, not to throw in the towel. He doesn’t test you to make you bitter or angry, but He sends tests to prove your love to Him. God said to Abraham when he passed his test in (verses 17-18) “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me.” God will bless your obedience, my friend, in ways you can’t fathom. Don’t obey God to gain the blessings He will send, but obey Him wholly out of love for Him.

Father, we pray that our obedience to you, the One we love, will be pure and genuine, bringing You delight and joy.

Amen

10/07/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: KEPT
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

In our judicial system there is a term “repeat offender” an individual who has been convicted of multiple offenses over time. In a trial with a jury there are 12 individuals who determine if the offender will be convicted or set-free. The jury is charged with deciding the case of the one on trial based on the evidence presented not the forgiveness Christ offers them.

How many times have we committed an offense against God? Yet, in all our offenses God gave us a way of salvation “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17kjv In Christ we are kept in God’s guidance, protection and preservation.

The trail of the woman caught in adultery: John 8:3-4kjv say’s “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, (4) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.” If this woman was to be found guilty the sentence in vs. 5 “…that such should be stoned.” When we read the following John 8:6-11, Jesus gives His verdict “…go now and leave your life of sin.” In Christ we can leave our past behind.

When Jesus tells us to “go now and leave your life of sin”, He equips us with the power of His Holy Spirit to be “KEPT”. 1 Corinthians 9:27 say’s “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I might be disqualified.” Whether we are younger or older, the temptation of sin is constantly present. Temptation may come in feelings of loneliness, times of discouragement, trials and tribulations, even when everything seems good. But know, Christ is ever-present in those times. How does He keep you?

What daily routines have you implemented for discipline and training?
How do you minister to others without giving in to their ungodly ways?

Dear God, gives us the discipline to train ourselves in prayer and in your word that we ourselves may be kept from falling into sin. In Christ Jesus name.

09/25/2025

Lessons from Beets
a devotional by Bette Wagenmaker

As I stood and looked at the sink full of beets freshly picked from the garden all I could see was work, lots of messy work! I sighed and reasoned to myself that while pickled beets are really delicious, I couldn’t enjoy them without going through the canning mess. Since this would be the last batch for this year I needed to buckle down and get going. But as I started cutting off the stems and roots, something unexpected occurred. I realized that the Lord wanted to give me of some spiritual truths along with more jars of pickled beets.

So join me as we think about some “Lessons from Beets.” How easy it is for Christians to appear one way to others but on the inside where only God sees might be different people. We can hide our thoughts, motives, fears and failures behind our smiles, our busyness and our laughter, but only as we are willing to allow God to strip away the outward facades and to work on our spirit can we see who we really are. Just as my sharp knife cut away the beet stems and roots so we must allow God’s Word to pe*****te and cut away at our sinful nature. In Hebrews 4:12 NLT we read, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joints and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

This phrase "sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword" refers to the power of God’s Word that can divide what is spiritual from what is physical, can reveal true motives and attitudes from false ones and can provide truth and guidance for life as God desires for us to live. I couldn’t make pickled beets with those beet stems and roots still attached any more than I can live life as God desires without allowing His Word to pe*****te my heart, dealing with my sin nature and bringing about needed rebirth. No one looks forward to the messes and hard times in life, but it can be during these times that we are often drawn closer to the Lord. Psalm 120:1 says “In my distress I cried to the Lord and He heard me.” God sees our situations and attends to our cries. We want relief to come in a particular time or way, but that is not what God promises. Instead He promises that He hears our cries and that He will never leave us or forsake us and that He will make a way. God decides how and when He will bring us relief. Messes and hard times are not meant to destroy us but to allow God’s love and goodness to rebuild us. God uses them to refine us, draw off the impurities and make us more useful vessels for His service. Refining is a necessary process!

When I looked at my hands and fingernails stained by red beet juice I was dismayed at how awful they looked…but they did provide proof of how I spent the afternoon. My kitchen counter also yielded a sizable bit of evidence as well, but the most compelling piece of evidence by far were the jars of pickled beets lining my pantry shelf. Now that’s undeniable evidence! Let’s relate this concept of evidence to our Christian lives. Evidence through our lifestyle, words, actions, and deeds toward others is what really counts. In Galatians 5: 22-25 the apostle Paul tells us “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” That’s the evidence that we are in Christ.

As we close our “Lessons from Beets” take a moment to think about your own life. What experiences or hard times has God used to shape your life? Have you grown closer to Him through what He has allowed to come into your life? Is the Spirit changing you so that it is evident to others that you belong to Christ Jesus?

Closing prayer

Father, thank you loving us so much and for shaping us to be more like Jesus.

Amen

09/02/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: A HIGHER STANDARD
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

What is just not acceptable to you? No matter how cold or how hot the temperature maybe “she” and her stroller travel from one side of the city to the other. She has made up her mind that she will walk wherever she has to go, that her children may get to school, go to their doctor’s appointments and put food on their table. In that stroller, it may have her young child, or she may use it to transport her items but, a ride, there have been comments, she will not accept. “They see me doing my best but, devalue me
with words; and so, I make my way in God who takes care of me.”

In this season of our society, women have been elevated in their careers, governments, sports and ministry. In a time of elevation, resistance is still a factor. But there is a standard of “Not Acceptable”. Our desire should never be seeking to find favor in man but walking in the favor of God.

Eve, the first woman created by God often seen as a matriarchal figure in biblical narrative is also the first example of God given “standard”. In the beginning, everything was already in place before she arrived. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, when God created the universe…” In this first day God said, “Let there be light”. On God’s last day of creation, he made mankind. Genesis 2:7GNT “Then the LORD God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it…” Genesis 2:21GNT “Then the LORD God made
the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man’s ribs and closed the flesh. (22) He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him.”

In a world that may treat us indifferent God created you in His likeness. Genesis 1:22GNT “So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female.” How did God purpose Adam and Eve? Genesis 1:28GNT “…Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.” To the man specifically “Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it…” Genesis 2:20GNT “So the man named all the birds and all the animals, but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.”

The parable of the workers in the vineyard “And Jesus concluded, “So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.” Matthew 5:16GNT What do we learn? a standard of God’s grace, the importance of equality and the risk of envy equals Humility.

Dear God, thank you that we are all valued equally in your eyes. Help us to see ourselves in your eyes and not live in the eyes of others. Give us strength that we always feel valued in You. In the same, we examine ourselves “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23niv

Send a message to learn more

08/04/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: The Attack of the Enemy
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

What do we learn in a battle? The Bible lets us know the enemy is on attack. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10kjv)

The late First Lady, Sis. Cunningham use to tell me “Get to know your people”. It’s people that the enemy uses to do his dirty work. They can be people the closes to us. How can we as Christians be used by the devil? We have a good clue in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” In a battle an army has a strategic plan to effectively respond to the challenges and threats they will face.

What is our strategic plan? “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
(Ephesians 6:10-11kjv God provides us with the spiritual armour to stand in the face of danger. Do you feel like you’re facing spiritual danger right now? The spiritual danger of being in a place of
complacency (not feeling excited about your faith), having negative thoughts, embracing sin or imitating others (not listening to the Holy Spirit).

When we experience those times of thinking “where did that come from”, take note the enemy is lurking. Know his tactics. Know God’s promises. The importance of studying God’s word is when we are under attack, The Holy Spirit will bring God’s word to our remembrance. I can remember times when those in my home and those of the church seemed to be attacking me out of nowhere. Based on my response it could have caused chaos and confusion but, we serve a God of peace not chaos “For God is not the
author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33kjv) Satan does not want us to operate in unity in our homes, marriages, the church, nowhere in our community for our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. Don’t give him place? (Ephesians 4:17kjv)

We are disciples of Christ. Christ Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray… Why? “that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” In times of our own fleshly weakness, we may do things out of God’s character. Our fruit (Galatians 5:22-25) may be questionable, and we all are vulnerable to Satan’s attack especially in emotional challenging times. What emotional challenge might you be struggling with today?

Don’t be surprised by who the devil may use to get that argument started with you. “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the
trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 26:24-26niv)

Dear God, thank you for your word that informs us and does not hide any good thing from us. Give us strength through the power of your word and the leading of your Holy Spirit to stand against and resist the devil. Lord, help us not to give in to the enemy’s tactics but know he is a liar. God in Heaven, thank you for empowering us to confront challenges and adversaries with confidence “ 17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:17-19niv) In Christ Jesus name.

Send a message to learn more

07/03/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: Not In Your Own Strength
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

Where does your strength come from? Well, I must confess that my strength is not my own. Paul says “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” What do we really understand this passage to mean?

What does trusting God in our situations look like vs. complaining, getting angry or taking our frustration out on others? Paul say’s “I take pleasure in my weaknesses for Christ’s sake”. When we allow the power of Christ to “rest on us, we stop resisting and complaining, making room for countless unexpected blessings from the Lord”. How many blessings have we forfeited because we chose to do the opposite?

I was given a wall rug that say’s “Trust in the Lord with all your Heart” Proverbs 3:5. Before getting out of bed, I fix my eyes on these words and encourage myself in them by just repeating them. What happens when we experience a problem that keeps going repeatedly in our minds? What about when we replace
that problem with prayer or the reading of God’s promises?

In the middle of our resisting and complaining blessings are just passing us by. We are not in the position to receive them. What has come to challenge you today? How will you remain strong through insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles? How can we not give in to our own weaknesses? Paul first recognized he was weak. In his weakness he recognized his strength was in the power of Christ. “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1kjv

How can we be imitators of these women in the Bible?

Courage and Faith: Esther 4:16 “Go, gather all the Jews that are “present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, fast likewise, and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law and if I perish, I perish.”

Selflessness and Devotion: Ruth 1:16 “And ruth said, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”

Breaking Barriers: Judges 4:4 “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.” Judges 5:2 “Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.”

Overcoming Hardships: Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto the me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

Dear God, we lift your Holy name in honor and praise Lord. You are good to us. God in our times of
weakness and the draining of our spiritual energy may we draw closer to you in prayer and in your word.
Lord, may we imitate the women of your strength in scripture, that we too be an example in your strength
for others to imitate us as followers of Christ. In Christ Jesus name.

Send a message to learn more

06/09/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: Doing Good in God!
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

How are you doing today? You know, there are so many things in life that can happen unexpectedly, there are some things that happen because of what we have ignored, there are some things that happen because we made the wrong decisions, there are some things that happen because we did not listen, there are some
things that happen just because. But, in all that happens “God has a planned outcome for each event”.

Romans 8:28 “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” This is the story of a child of God’s life.

What movie have you watched with the statement of “Based on A True Story”? I have watched movies on Lifetime and Tyler Perry movies related to what’s happening in our real-life situations. In these, the writer has the option to alter the script. Proverbs 19:21 say’s “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. In our lives, GOD is in control of all our happenings. In Christ we are good.

What presidential candidate does not run to win? How many can say “my life turned out exactly how I planned it or if I had only done things God’s way? What have we learned the hard way? Only God knows our next. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Proverbs 16:9niv) What are your plans for today?

Why didn’t things go my way? Our way just doesn’t work in our best interest. “The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10kjv) This is the good of God.

Are you a child of God? Today, you are good in God. Allow the love of Christ Jesus to lift you into His purpose for your life on today. How did you get up this morning? How are you doing right now? How better are you that you “know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”?

Dear God, thank you that today we rise in your “Good”. We are grateful to you Lord that we can press forward “Lifted in Christ”. Our Father in heaven, give us the strength today to be energized in what we know you will make happen. Lord, today, we live as a child of God not in the weakness of ourselves or others but, in the “Joy of Your Strength”. In Christ Jesus name.

Send a message to learn more

05/12/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: Who is the Real Mother
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

In history we have days on the calendar that have been designated to celebrate and honor someone or something. Mother’s Day is one of those days. It is a day that originated in remembrance of Ann Reeves Jarvis a “notable peace activist and community organizer”. Following Ann Reeves Jarvis’s passing, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, embarked on a mission to commemorate her mother’s achievements and the invaluable role of mothers in society. The inaugural Mother’s Day celebration was May 10, 1908. President Woodrow Wilson’s proclamation in 1914, marked the achievement of Jarvis’s goal to nationally recognize the importance of mothers.

In our appreciation for this special day of recognition, we reflect on scripture that reminds us “ 7 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17niv

Mothers throughout history have been able to stand through the test of times only because of Jehovah God that Psalms 19:1niv say’s “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” and Isaiah 40:28niv say’s “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” What stories can you tell that no one can fathom, because it was only by the grace of God?

Who is the real mother? “Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!” But the other
woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!” 1 Kings 3:26nlt This mother gave up her child to save his life. God gave His Son to save our lives.

When we think about the love of a mother, let us reflect and meditate on the love of our Lord and Savior in reading the whole chapter of 1 Kings chapter 3. How can we honor and celebrate Jehovah God on this Mother’s Day when the world is looking at us and not at Him? “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20kjv

What decision are you facing today? “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? [a] Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26nlt) The real mother makes her decisions in the wisdom of God and God brings blessings through mother’s whether they are biological mothers, spiritual mothers, mentors or caregivers. We appreciate you!

Our Father in Heaven, thank you for the gift of motherhood in the body and in heart. May our celebration always be to give you honor, the glory and the praise for loving us, and giving Yourself for us. We pray that our light of Faith is what shines through every day of the year and every moment of each day in honor and celebration of You. In Christ Jesus name.

Send a message to learn more

05/08/2025

Women Ministries Devotional: Where God say’s GO!
by Rhonda Adams, City Covenant Church, Detroit, MI

What is the Great Commission Christ has given to His disciples? Matthew 28:19-20kjv say’s “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
“The Great Commission” Agenda
1. Teach all nations
2. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
3. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you

Where are you going today? I can remember when one of my co-workers thought she was going into retirement. In about 30 days she was back on the job. It shocked some of us because we thought she was going to enjoy retirement with her husband, who had already retired and would bring her lunch to work several times a week. How nice they were going to be able to spend all their time together. Well, when we inquired why she had come back, she said “I could not take it any longer sitting at home”.

When you seem uneasy “Go” where God has gifted you. God has made room for our gifts for discipleship. What talent has God gifted you? Proverbs 18:16lb say’s “ 16 A gift does wonders; it will bring you before men of importance!” I think about our Pastor Semmeal Thomas who has testified how God has put him in places and in front of people that only God can. He does not sit on what God has gifted him to do, and God rewards him openly.

Let’s not become uneasy about our season of life but, Trust GOD in our next phase of life. Numbers 26:3-26 “ The Lord said to Moses, (24) “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, (25) but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. (26) They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”

The emphasis is the importance of rest, purpose, and living a fruitful life at any age. You might be faced with the decision of retirement but, know in Christ Jesus it is the opportunity to share blessings, serve others and reflecting God’s heart through generosity and community involvement. Acts 1:8 “But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” They were first to be witnesses in the community they found themselves-Jerusalem, then to the adjoining region and finally expand their ministry to the ends of the earth. Let’s “GO”!

Dear God, help us not to become discouraged in our stage of life but, be revived in knowing we are always commissioned in you “GO”. Help us Lord, to know our “GO” may be different than what we think but, it’s a “GO” of discipleship. So, rather it’s retirement or making some other life changing decision, Lord, may we just Trust you in all things. May our hearts always be “not wanting anyone to perish” (2Peter 3:9), being mindful of our daily dealings with others in life. Thank you for your sufficient grace, new mercies daily, peace that passeth all understanding and your joy that is our strength. In Christ Jesus name.

Send a message to learn more